Is Alcoholics Anonymous Irrational?

Alcoholics Anonymous is a standard part of alcohol therapy in America. It was established 80 years ago and it's famous 12 step philosophy says that in order to be cured an alcoholic must never drink a single drop again. But in recent years the tough AA approach has been called into question by academics and alcohol addicts alike. New research suggests that abstention is not a cure for alcoholism and in most cases actually leads to a pattern of bingeing and abstinence.

Author Gabrielle Glaser, has spent months researching the success rate of Alcoholics Anonymous and has written an article in The Atlantic Monthly magazine, The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous.